Tag ArchiveEverywhere Once |

Yaks at Blue Heron Cheese Company in Oregon

Best of the Blog: 2013’s Top 10

by Brian on December 20, 2013 in Favorites, Travel

Big Sur, California

With 2013 coming to a close it’s once again time for our annual retrospective. As with last year’s Best Of selections, we’ve combed through our statistics from the past year to find the posts you read and shared most often. And similar to 2012, the results are an eclectic mix of opinion pieces, travel stories, advice columns and photo essays (you’ll find links to the original articles in each of the headings below.)

Needless to say, 2013 was a great year. Here’s looking forward to an even better 2014.

A Tale of Two Cities

by Brian on December 18, 2013 in California, New York, Travel, United States

As great as it was to be back in New York City (we really do Love NY), we have to admit that this time, it was equally good to get away. Over the past four years of travel we’ve mostly managed to avoid winter and, in the process, have become hot-house-flowers of sorts. Last weekend’s storm gave us enough snow and ice to keep us stocked up on winter weather for the foreseeable future.

And for all the bitching we always do about air travel – the ridiculous undressing for security, the cramped coach seats, the inevitable delays – we really owe it a big, fat round of applause. Thanks to modern aviation, we spent only a half a day getting from Central Park’s winter wonderland to Southern California’s bikini beaches.

After spending two weeks in the cold, returning to the sun and palm trees we’d otherwise have taken for granted felt like vacation. It is nothing short of a holiday miracle.

Kayaking Blackstone Bay: Glaciers and Waterfalls

by Brian on December 16, 2013 in Alaska, Travel, United States

There were two big things we wanted to do while in Alaska. The first was a glacier trek. Check. The second was to do some glacier kayaking. For that, we made our way down to Whittier, Alaska, where we hooked up with the Prince William Sound Kayak Center for gear, guide, and transportation.

Denali, Bad and Good

by Brian on December 13, 2013 in Alaska, Travel, United States

We had a stormy relationship with Alaska’s Denali National Park; turbulent at first but then growing into a kind of appreciation and fondness.

Things would have gone smoother had we understood Denali peculiarities from the beginning. Even under the best of circumstances, visitors may find Denali to be a bit of a mixed bag. But forewarned is fore-armed, as they say. So here’s what you can expect from America’s third largest park.